The Grandest Canyon

I took my sad leavetaking on Sunday morning.  I wanted so badly to take those little boys with me.... but I know their parents would miss them.  And there would have been an Amber Alert and lots of fast and crazy driving and probably a multi-state manhunt.  So, I left alone.

I drove from Durango back to Cortez and then through the Ute Mountain Indian Reservation to Valley of the Gods and Monument Valley.  How spectacular and eerie.

Valley of the Gods

More godliness

Monument Valley

Vermillion Cliffs outside of Marble Canyon, Arizona

Ethereal cliffs again

I decided to visit the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.  I have never seen the Canyon before and I understood the North Rim to be less touristed and more pristine.  It also seemed like good timing as most services on the North Rim open on May 15th.  This section of the park is open when the roads are passable but the campgrounds, hotels, etc opened for the season on Saturday (which was technically the 14th).

I couldn't get a campground reservation in the actual park for Sunday night.  So, I camped about 40 miles south of the North Rim in a little "town" called Jacob Lake inside the Kaibab National Forest.  This turned out to be good luck.

I had time for a short hike before settling into my campsite.  The elevation was around 7200 feet.  Once the sun went down, the temperature dropped precipituously.  I wore practically every piece of clothing I brought with me.  It was in the mid 30s during the night.

I noticed lots of snow on the ground as I drove the 40 miles from Jacob Lake to the North Rim.  The North Rim's elevation is higher than the South Rim and the landscape is dramatically different.  It's around 8000 feet.

Hiking towards Cape Final.

There was evidence of forest fires every where in the park.

Cape Final.

More Cape Final.

There weren't many flowers blooming at this elevation in mid May.

Vista Encantada

Rather than spend another night shivering in my tent, I drove out of the park around 3 pm and headed for.... Las Vegas.  Along the way, I stopped in the bustling metropolis of Fredonia and bought coffee at a gas station that sold guns.  At least one of the customers arrived on horseback.

I also drove through Colorado City, Arizona which is famous for being the home to the largest population of LDS fundamentalists and polygamists.